BIG Images Case Studies

X Prize Foundation—Launching a Revolution...

beebe@big-images.com — 2006-09-16T12:03:34-07:00

This year’s X Prize Cup will see three new contests—the Vertical Rocket Challenge, the Space Elevator Games, and the Lunar Lander Challenge.

BIG Images continues it's efforts to better serve the airshow industry. We recently completed our first major project for the X Prize Foundation.

When SpaceShip One rocketed to space on October 4, 2004, not only was it the first private manned spacecraft to exceed an altitude of 328,000 feet twice within a 14 day period, it also was the winner of the $10 million Ansari X Prize.

That was only the beginning. According to the X Prize Cup web page, “We didn't just launch a spaceship, we launched a revolution,” and this year, they plan to raise the stakes. On October 20-21, 2006, privately funded teams will compete for $2.5 million in prizes in three different competitions: the Lunar Lander Challenge, the Vertical Rocket Challenge and the Space Elevator Games

The X Prize Foundation “...spurs innovation by tapping into [humanity's] competitive and entrepreneurial spirits.” BIG Images is proud to be a major part of the X Prize Foundations' marketing efforts, helping spread their dream of private space exploration to the final frontier and beyond.

The Challenge
The X Prize Foundation and Rocket Racing approached us with a need for banners to decorate their co-branded booth at AirVenture Oshkosh, the largest civilian airshow in the United States.

This booth required double-sided banner stands, tent headers and large banners for covering the inner walls of the tent.

The Rocket Racing and X Prize Foundation tent at AirVenture Oshkosh.

The X Prize Foundation’s graphics proved a challenge because of their liberal use of black—every image had a rich-black background that needed to print as black as possible.

The Solution
BIG Images provided the perfect media solution; Our durable vinyl banner allowed for quick production, easy transportation, and great reusability for future shows.

Our new ink-system dramatically increases the color gamut available on outdoor vinyl, printing some of the richest, or darkest, black in the industry. Furthermore, our new ink-system creates a stronger bond with the material, making banners that will last longer in the rigorous trade-show environment.

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Rocket Racing—Sport of the 21st Century

beebe@big-images.com — 2006-08-31T19:17:23-07:00

Two rocket-powered Mark-1 X-Racers competing Grand Prix-style.

The Rocket Racing League™ is an aerospace sports and entertainment organization that combines the competition of racing with the excitement of rocketry. The RRL was established by X–Prize founder Peter Diamandis and two–time Indianapolis 500 champion team partner Granger Whitelaw to advance the technology and increase public awareness of space travel. The NASCAR–style racing league features rocket–powered aircraft that will be flown by top pilots through a 'three–dimensional track way' at venues throughout the world. With millions of fans who enjoy racing and air shows, and an even wider audience enthralled with humanity's next step into space, rocket racing is destined to become the future of racing! —From the Rocket Racing web page.

The Challenge

The Rocket Racing tent at AirVenture Oshkosh, 2006 with double sided banner stand and tent headers.

Rocket Racing and the X–Prize Foundation approached BIG Images to supply banners for their co–branded booth at AirVenture Oshkosh. With attendance between 200,000–300,000 people, it is the largest civilian airshow in the United States.

The co–branded booth required banners of matching proportions, double-sided banner stands, tent headers, and large banners to cover the inner walls of their tent.

In addition, we were able to push the extreme edges of the CMYK color space to deliver the bright and vibrant colors found in the Rocket Racing brand.

Double sided banner stand beneath the wing of a C-130 Hercules.

The Solution
BIG Images had the perfect media solution for them: our durable vinyl banner allowed for quick production, easy transportation, and great reusability for future shows. To reproduce the vibrant reds and blues of their brand, BIG Images used it's new ink-system which dramatically increases the color gamut available on outdoor vinyls. Furthermore, our ink-systejm creates a stronger bond with the material, making banners last longer in the rigorous trade-show environment.

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BIG Images Invests in New Ink Technology

beebe@big-images.com — 2006-07-27T13:52:20-07:00

New Inks increase color gamut and image strength.

BIG Images recently completed the conversion to a new ink system for its outdoor solutions. These new inks bring a few direct benefits to our customers. These include:

Increased color gamut—we can now produce better color encompassing about 15% more of the Pantone color range.

Better weather resistance—waterproof and lightfast outdoors for up to 5 years.

Increased strength—the new inks stick to the material better, meaning more scratch resistance and longer life

All of BIG Images outdoor solutions are using this new ink starting immediately.

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Pops by the Sea

beebe@big-images.com — 2006-07-23T20:18:23-07:00

It's the best way to spend Labor Day Weekend on the Central Coast!

The San Luis Obispo Symphony Pops by the Sea Logo - Printed by BIG Images 12' 9" tall x 25' wide.

This year, 2006, marks the third year running that BIG Images has sponsored the San Luis Symphony and Pops by the Sea. The SLO Symphony, often noted for incredible marketing graphics that rival their music in quality, uses BIG Images for all its outdoor signage at the annual Pops by the Sea concert, and for the foyer banners greeting the audience as they arrive to performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center.

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Team Oracle & The Contrails Group

beebe@big-images.com — 2006-07-18T11:01:18-07:00

Team Oracle

Our DesignJet HP5000 printing posters for Team Oracle.

"My Business takes me all over the country and BIG Images' solution-based approach provides me with on–demand marketing tools wherever I am. Their streamlined processes ensure the highest quality product, on time, every time, which allows them to focus their attention on technology, research and development, and me; the customer." —Karl Koeppen, Team Oracle

Challenge:
Oracle needed an on–demand print shop to produce projects such as the 7 ft. x 10 ft. banner, capable of withstanding the rigors of the outdoor environment—sunlight, moisture, cross-country transportation, all within 20 hours.

Solution:
BIG Images utilized its custom designed production facility and inks built for outdoor use to produce this huge full–color banner in less than 20 hours. The unique reinforced vinyl banner material is designed to withstand the test of time and outdoor elements.

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Onyx, Automator, & AppleScript Make Life Easier

beebe@big-images.com — 2006-01-01T17:08:42-08:00

BIG Images is harnessing the power of AppleScript & Automator on Mac OS X Tiger to improve the production workflow in a cross-platform computing environment.

One of the largest technology-related problems BIG Images faces every day is getting its PCs to talk to its Macs. Networking a PC can be...problematic. Since the software that powers our printers, Onyx, is only available on Windows we decided to conquer the beast by developed some of our own technology.

Thanks to the power of Mac OS X Tiger, Automator, and AppleScript we communicate our print files to the print PC without ever touching it. Using a simple drag & drop interface we communicate all our print jobs to the printers—they are automatically sorted into their correct media, orientated to maximize media placement, and processed for printing, without ever touching the PC that is doing the work.

Click here to download the technology paper.

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Homegrown CMS Pays off in Spades

beebe@big-images.com — 2005-06-05T10:21:15-07:00

In an effort to fulfill our mission—Revolutionizing the large format print industry through Technology and Relentless Customer Service—BIG Images has pioneered a Customer Management System that integrates with sales & production for a seamless experience.

Rapid quoting. 10 minutes or less. That's all it takes before you receive an email with the quote.

Complete job tracking throughout our shop resulting in fewer errors & faster production times

File Archiving. We archive every job we print for rapid reprinting

Thumbnails. Every invoice prints with thumbnails of the images it represents.

1 Do not rely on this as a backup service for your files - we only archive the files necessary to re-print a job. We do not archive editable artwork or your original artwork. We offer no guarantee that your files will be backed up. Due to shifting technology it may be necessary to re–supply BIG Images with new and/or updated files for reprints.

Click here to download the technology paper.

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"Big Images has become an important asset..."

beebe@big-images.com — 2005-04-08T23:04:11-07:00

"Big Images has become an important asset to our advertising. They are fast, economical, professional, and most important to me, produce excellent quality work. I've also found their advice on image preparation and presentation to be very helpful. Usually, you have to go to a fairly large city to get this kind of expertise. Having Big Images here allows us to have better interaction and turnaround but still get a professional product." —Kirby Spencer, Zoo Med Labs

Our DesignJet HP5000 printing posters for Zoo Med Laboratories. The computer on the right is soft-proofing the image, informing our print-manager of any color-shifts before the image prints.

Challenge
Zoo Med Labs needed a supplier that could provide consistent results for their point–of–purchase banners. The challenge was that these images contained intense vibrant colors that are difficult to produce because they are out of gamut—meaning they are not physically printable. So how does BIG Images print colors that cannot be printed?

Solution
We have invested heavily in our color-management system, spending hundreds of hours calibrating our monitors and print–media, and learning the technology behind color management. Using this cutting edge color knowledge and technology BIG Images is able to accurately soft–proof colors before printing, thus predicting color shifts. This allows us to customize our workflow for optimal performance. For Zoo Med this meant they knew they were getting predictable, repeatable results each time we printed their images.

About Zoo Med Laboratories Inc.
Zoo Med is the worlds #1 reptile product company worldwide producing an array of accessories for any reptile enthusiast. To learn more about them visit the Zoo Med Laboratories web site.

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